Aftermath
by Cristy Demonwrath
Summary: Ace wakes up after a thorough butt whuppin' courtesy of the toughest Puff. Reflects on their odd relationship, and tries to come to terms with its lack of resolution. Conflicted!Ace, light AceSnake. Warning: slightly twisted more so for a dirty mind.


**Aftermath**

_Author's note: This story is set directly after the events in Buttercrush. I have tried to keep the characters true to themselves throughout, but suggestions on how to do this better would be entirely welcome. I own nothing, and as this is a completely Gangreen-centric story, the PPG will not be making an appearance. _

Ace woke up in motion, to the lurching steps of his scrawniest henchman. He blinked back stars as Snake pulled him into the grimy trailer and set him gently down on the cot. Tentatively feeling the side of his aching face, he tried to recall what had happened. The green Powerpuff's image flashed through his mind, and her expression of dawning realization and betrayal was vivid. The physical memory of pain and a glittering explosion of white light somewhere behind his eyes followed that murderous gaze. _Little squirt knocked me out_. Grudgingly, Ace noticed his respect for her had just gone up another notch. Not that it mattered anymore. If Buttercup was half as tough as she acted, all he'd be seeing of her now were more star-thingies. _Smart kid_, he sneered callously, covering his real thoughts with sarcasm.

Snake's face came into his field of vision.The lanky reptile was sporting a nasty gash across his cheek, but otherwise seemed unhurt. This time, Ace had taken the worst of the beating, and his headache alone was threatening to put him out cold again. Judging from the way Snake was staring at him, he looked about as good as he felt. Ace glowered in his direction, daring Snake to say something he'd regret. Aching jaw, busted lip and all, he was still the leader, and if Snake thought different he'd be more than ready to straighten him out. In fact, he could use the distraction. It sure beat thinking about Buttercup. Ace winced. That last thought was waay too candid. She must've really rattled him, because he wasn't even lying to himself. Snake unobtrusively handed him a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"Painkillersss," hissed Snake softly.

Ace sniggered at the half-empty container and propped himself up on one shoulder. "You use these a lot, don't you?"

Snake reddened a little, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Sssometimesss. Mossstly for the ssswelling." He sounded coolly apathetic.

"Huh," Ace murmured, similarly unmoved. "Where're the others?"

Snake peered out the trailer window. "Ssstill unconsciousss."

Ace opened the container and tipped out a couple of aspirin, which he downed in a single swallow. "That makes you the first one to get it together. How'd you manage that, anyway?"

Snake flashed him a sardonic grin. "I've had practiccce."

Ace laughed. "C'mere," he ordered with informal ease, shifting over and hitting the edge of the bed invitingly with an open palm. "Siddown."

Hesitantly, the thin Gangreen slunk over, expecting Ace to make more smart remarks, or punch him, or _something_. Instead, he just eyed hole Buttercup kicked in the trailer wall earlier, and ran a hand musingly over the growing bruise on his jaw. Now, their leader was many things, but pensive usually wasn't one of them. Underneath his usual bravado, Snake could tell the little Puff had gotten to him. Though Ace was as hard-eyed a street kid as you'll ever find, being loved by something as perfect and fragile as a five year old held a certain attraction, which Buttercup's intense wariness only amplified. She didn't trust her own father and sisters, but for some incomprehensible reason, she had trusted him. Of course, Ace had his reputation to think of, and a lifetime of cold, hard facts that proved love was a lie, but that didn't make it any easier to betray. Though Cuppa had beaten him bloody, Snake knew physical pain had very little to do with that tormented look in his eyes.

"Ssshe wasss really sssomething, huh?" he ventured cautiously.

The corners of Ace's mouth twitched. "Yeah." His smirk widened morosely. "But ya nailed it. She's good,and if there's one thing we ain't… I should've taken a hint. If I had, none a this would've happened."

Snake shrugged, trying to hide his amazement. "It wasssn't that sssimple. Buttercup ssscaresss me, but ssshe liked you. Ssshe risked a lot coming heresss."

"_Sure_ she did. Cuppa could've ended up, uh, uh, whaddaya call it? Grounded.Which would suck, but it's not like being cold, broke, and busted doesn't. Tough ain't about standing around looking mean."

"Yesss," agreed Snake sympathetically, "but her anger wasss real."

"No way." Ace's eyebrows pulled together into a single, corrugated 'V' above his shades, but Snake could tell he was still conflicted. Usually, Snake knew better than to argue, because there was no point. Whatever happened, happened, and it would be a cold day in hell before Ace so much as blushed. But for once, he felt like he'd screwed up. "What's a sheltered little white kid gonna know about anger? She's got nothing to be angry _about_." Said Ace, defensively.

At this, Snake shrugged. "It'sss gotta sssuck, acting heroic when all ssshe wantsss isss to hang with usss. Gangreen'sss free, and for all her sssuperpowersss, ssshe'sss not. Cuppa'sss a ssschoolkid, and ssshe doesss what ssshe'sss told." He paused, and then hissed softly, "It'sss killing her."

Ace opened his mouth and then closed it again, realizing Snake had just said in few words something he couldn't have explained in many. And yet, he'd known all along. From the first time she smiled at him, Ace had sensed everything: the quiet, desperate need to be seen as a person, the constant strain of pretending to be something she wasn't, the barely concealed longing to do something rotten for a change … all silently expressed in the way she looked at them. Though they were covered in playground dust and minor cruelties, delinquent from their greasy hair to their grimy sneakers, she stared as if she'd never seen anything half as cool. Ace didn't go after Buttercup because he thought she was weaker or more gullible than her sisters. He focused on her because somehow, he realized she was a lot like him. Despite her respectable exterior, Cuppa didn't fit in Townsville's tidy, clear-cut little world of school and work, right and wrong, any more than he and his gang did. Deep down, she was one of them. Or at least, she could have been.

But … Ace frowned. How did Snake know these things, anyway? How could he express something this subtle when most of the time he could barely express himself?

Snake grinned with smug irony, flattered by Ace's silent gaze. "I don't sssay much, but I do lisssten."

Ace matched his smile with a cruelly sarcastic one of his own, and popped his knuckles. "Especially when I get your attention with these."

"E-yesss." After an uncomfortable pause, Snake snickered. "Buttercup wasss no ssslouch at that, either."

"Tell me about it," Ace spat broodingly, raking long, green fingers through his unruly black hair.

"Sssorry," whistled Snake, sounding genuinely apologetic.

"For what?"Ace sneered at the slight undertone of pity. "I set her up. She took me down. Game _over_." He tried to get up, but a sudden wave of dizziness made him reconsider. Snake would have known better than to move before his head steadied, but Ace didn't get knocked around much –let alone put out cold. "I dunno what I'm talkin' to you for." He grumbled distrustfully. "S'over."

"Don't be ssso sssssure," Snake hissed emphatically. "Yousss hurt her feelingsss, but ssshe liked yousss. Ssshe alwaysss will. Jussst give it time."

"_Time?_" Ace echoed, bemused. "It's gonna be an unsaved day in Townsville before that Puff forgives me. Whattaya gettin' at?"

"Isss …," Snake knew he was going to have to phrase this carefully. "Only that … thisss isssn't over. There're sssome thingsss you never get over, and yousss isss one of 'em." He caught Ace staring at him. "What?"

Somethingin the way he'd said that was quintessentially Snake,completely familiar, and yet … Ace had the feeling he'd never recognized it for what it was. He tipped his shades to be sure. _You too?_ Snake swallowed nervously under his leader's steady gaze, and the slight blush creeping across his face put a feral gleam in Ace's eye. Obviously Buttercup wasn't the only one with a weakness for him. And that could wait; because he was positive Snake's last comment had nothing to do with her. Tentatively, Ace tried moving again, and found that the sudden, hormonal rush had helped him overcome his dizziness. Excellent. Within seconds, he went from being a roughed-up street kid to the same insolent, swaggering delinquent of old. Ace suddenly felt … handsome, and the change was obvious. Busted, bloody, and all, he looked _good_.

"Snake."

"W-what?"Snake asked nervously, eyes downcast.

"Look at me."

Slowly, Snake complied.

"Buttercup isn't the only one with a crush, is she?"

"Yeh –no … I-I-I'sss meansss …" The thin Gangreen turned crimson.

Ace grinned. "C'mere."

Eyes wide, Snake stared at him in abject terror, transfixed.

Ace's smile broadened, showing one pale, glittering fang. Lithely, he crossed the distance between them. The object of his attentions drew back. "Snake," he repeated imperiously.

Snake swallowed. "Yesss?"

Their eyes locked. Ace's meaning was unmistakable. Snake quivered, but he stopped backing away. In a single motion, the lead Gangreen drew very close, muscles tense beneath his practiced composure. He raised a hand and touched Snake's face lightly; thumb tracing the curved ridge of his nose, fingers running over the tiny scales beneath his slitted, vermilion eyes. Snake closed them for as long as he dared, trying to enjoy the sensation. He couldn't remember the last time that being touched didn't hurt. Adrenaline surged through his veins beneath that perilous caress, but he didn't move. Ace's hand glided smoothly over his face and ran though his greasy black hair. It rested on the back of his neck with agile grace, and Ace could feel the thin gangster's unsteady pulse under his fingers. Snake's eyes snapped open asAce tipped his shades and set them aside.

Ace's blue-black gaze darted appreciatively over Snake's scrawny body and flushed face, taking in the conflicted mask of fear, shame, and fascination. But Snake wasn't Gangreen for nothing. A certain thrill was collecting in his muscles, the high-strung tension of knowing Ace was up to something and he was a part of it was setting him on edge. The sentiment did not go unnoticed. Smirking subtly, Ace gripped the back of Snake's head and pulled him forward, thin green lips crushing down on pillowy black ones as he used his viselike grip to deepen the kiss.

Almost as an afterthought, Ace's other hand slipped around, supporting his thin, curved spine and drawing him closer. Even though his thick jacket, Snake could feel the lead Gangreen's steady heartbeat, thudding reassuringly against his chest. He was shaking so hard he could barely think, trembling like a leaf in the wake of a hurricane, but he kissed back, his fear subsiding a little as he hung limply in Ace's grasp. Ace's sinewy body curved farther over him, and his long, greasy hair cascaded forward, enveloping Snake's face. As he moved, its thick, dark curtain blocked out their surroundings … the ceiling …

the light …

Snake shivered again. A strange tingling spread from Ace's lips to the rest of his face. It raced down his spine and quickly spread throughout the rest of his body. Convulsively, with considerable trepidation, Snake reached up and embraced him, thin hands clutching at Ace's shoulders and pulling him closer. Ace grinned mischievously and pinned him to the bed as he broke off the kiss. A single fang grazed Snake's face lightly as Ace pulled away. Snake blinked, trying to stay conscious.

"I-I-I'sss" he stammered.

Ace smirked wisely, reaching for his shades, "Schhh. I know."

"Heh," Snake managed a wan smile. "Figuresss…" His head fell lightly on Ace's shoulder as he blacked out.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Ace mused. With care, he shifted Snake's weight and set him down on the bed again. "Sleep well, squirt," he said, though he knew Snake probably couldn't hear him. "And thanks for the aspirin. Y'know, I _am_ the main reason you need 'em. You didn't have to do that."

_Anytimesss_, thought Snake woozily. He was too far-gone to actually say this before he went under, but a vague, blissful smile lit up his unconscious face. Ace's features softened a little as he regarded the younger boy, stretched out in perfect trust; perfect oblivion. It would be so easy to hurt him, all too easy, actually. Ace wasn't in the mood. He'd broken enough hearts for one day.

The lead Gangreen sighed. If he'd had any idea … but the rest of the thought dissipated before he could get to it. He would've done something different. Or gone about it different. Or just stayed in bed this morning. That last bit made him smirk a little, as black humor lifted his otherwise serious expression. Then he realized he would've had to stay in bed most of this week to avoid the mess with Buttercup, and the gloom resettled. _One thing Gangreen ain't_, he reflected, _is funny._

Slowly, though, he remembered the laughter in Buttercup's eyes, and knew she would've disagreed. This still surprised Ace, because thanks to his sketchy face and shabby clothes, people distrusted him on a regular basis. He didn't even have to do anything. The citizenry just knew Ace was delinquent the moment they laid eyes on him. Despite this, he was really good at _making_ everyone trust him. But with Buttercup, he didn't have to. She saw so much more in him than he saw in himself, more than anyone ever had. It felt really strange, hanging out with someone that didn't expect the worst from him. All the same, Ace played along. He fed Buttercup the same 'poor, misunderstood' that he fed everybody. Yet … it wasn't the same. Buttercup loved _him_, not the lame, loveable face he put on for the authorities. And in some obscure way, he'd loved her back.

Ace rubbed a green hand against his temple. Of all the dumb mistakes, this had to be the dumbest. Love was one of those things that happened to _good_ people. At least, that's what he'd always figured. He didn't see the other Townsvillains having this problem. But anyone with eyes would love Buttercup. Ace caught himself mid-thought and sniggered. Sure, man. Who wouldn't get really attached to a mean little five-year-old that could bust every bone in their body?

Snake was right, though: it had to suck, being the toughest fighter and living in a household where good little girls didn't fight. She needed permission from the mayor just to do the one thing she lived for. Cuppa wasn't they type to complain, but she didn't belong with those stupid, two-bit losers. They treated her like a common brat. They put her in _school_, of all things. No one that strong had any business being graded and grounded and put to bed at nightfall. As a puff, she had a lot of things that Ace couldn't give her. He didn't have a nice, cushy place to sleep, or a steady source of food and money. But at least he was free to be himself; to have fun, act out, and hang around with other misfits and trouble makers. Gangreen was as wild as the winter wind that broke into their hideout every fall, or the scrubby, gray-green weeds that grew outside. If he'd known that was what she liked about them, he wouldn't have turned her away. But even so, it was … complicated.

The lead Gangreen sat down lightly on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. It felt heavy and feverish. Lil' Arturo poked his head into the hideout.

"Esas –and here he muttered something completely untranslatable- Wait'll we get our hands on them. Right, boss?" He asked, rapid-fire as always, "They'll never know what hit em!"

Ace bit back a slight wince. "Not this time, Arturo."

"But ..." The little Hispanic's face fell with disappointment. "You think big, pero te faltan ganas."

"That's right," Ace growled, pulling a shard of broken glass out of his eyebrow and flicking it in Arturo's direction. "The whole gang just got its hiney kicked by an effin' five-year-old and I am _this_ close to taking it out on somebody. Just get yourself cleaned up and we'll call it a day."

Arturo stared at him for a moment, and then mumbled promptly, "Si, jefe." He turned to leave.

"Arturo!"

"_What?_" The diminutive gangster said, resentfully. "You're right, Ace. We can't do squat right now. But don't diss me, man."

"Chill out. There's just one person I need to settle scores with, and we both know it ain't you. You got that?"

Arturo was momentarily silent, but then he nodded. "Me and the guys are going to scavenge some eats. Want us to bring you something?"

Ace shrugged. "Whatever. Don't try anything fancy."

Arturo grinned wanly, blood trickling between his teeth. "Not today, boss."

Ace frowned. "You fellas need any help?"

Arturo wiped his mouth on a short, red sleeve. "Nah. We looking like poo, but feeling not-so-bad." And with that, he left.

Ace just sat there for a moment, reflecting, and then laughed softly. Knowing Arturo, that wasn't a throwaway comment. But when you put it like that, things just didn't seem as bad. He glanced over at the still-sleeping Snake, who had coiled at the foot of the bed and was taking up as little space as possible.

On impulse, Ace grabbed him under both arms and unfolded his full unconscious length. Snake shivered, and drew his arms and legs together. Even asleep, his body made a sort of meandering S curve. Ace, usually so territorial, lay down experimentally next to him. Snake was cool all over. He felt good, compared to the insistent heat still roaring in Ace's ears from the beating, but as soon as Snake sensed another person there, he pulled back. He shifted his weight in a sinewy undulation, arcing out towards the edge of the bed.

Ace eyed him from under half-closed lids, as Snake balanced there precariously. The corners of his mouth quirked. _Reptiles._ Ace watched him suffer for a little longer, and then a green hand shot out and caught Snake by the front of his shirt, pulling him back. After a moment's hesitation, Ace leaned comfortably against him.

Snake felt the sudden heat and panicked. Muscles tensed along the full length of his elongated spine as he reared up,but Ace flipped around lazily and pressed him back against the cot with his shoulder. Gradually, Snake mellowed out. He flicked his tongue out a couple of times, and then nuzzled Ace with a deep sigh. _What am I getting myself into?_ Ace wondered briefly, but then he shrugged, folded his arms, and went to sleep. They'd been up for over 24 hours straight, so only the sound of breathing broke the silence –long, unconcerned breaths from the one, and a low, cautious hiss from the other.


End file.
